Where Did the Name Topanga Come From on ‘Boy Meets World’?
Who came up with the name Topanga from Boy Meets World?
Danielle Fishel, who portrayed Topanga Lawrence on the beloved '90s sitcom Boy Meets World, revealed how the unique name came to be during a panel at 90's Con this past weekend, where she appeared alongside former co-stars Rider Strong (Shawn Hunter), Will Friedle (Eric Matthews) and Trina McGee (Angela Moore).
"I think the truth is there was a woman who created the character of Topanga — she was in the writers' room — and I think she wanted the character to be a flower child," Fishel revealed, per People.
"And she picked the name Topanga because in the San Fernando Valley, where the show was filmed, there is an area called Topanga Canyon, and that canyon was kind of a known hippie hangout in the '60s and even still is a kind of flower child-y area."
According to Fishel, Boy Meets World co-creator Michael Jacobs once claimed he was inspired while driving on the freeway. The writing team called him when he passed the Topanga Canyon off ramp.
"So the joke he made is that had they called him two minutes later, she could have been named De Soto," she continued. "It's really funny, but I don't know that that's the true story, so there's both!"
Although Topanga was one of the main stars of the show, her character was originally supposed to be in just one episode, or potentially become a recurring character. She and the show became so cherished, however, that she went on to reprise her role in Disney Channel's 2014 spinoff, Girl Meets World.
While Topanga and Cory are couple goals in real life, Fishel and Ben Savage never officially dated. However, they ended up going out to dinner once to see if they had any feelings for one another — but there wasn't anything romantic between them.
Fans can still revel in Cory and Topanga's relationship on Boys Meets World and Girl Meets World, which are both available to stream on Disney+.